Saint Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars Read online

  Produced by Martin Robb

  Saint Bartholomew's Eve:A Tale of the Huguenot WarsBy G. A. Henty.

  Illustrated by H. J. Draper.

  Contents

  Preface.Chapter 1: Driven From Home.Chapter 2: An Important Decision.Chapter 3: In A French Chateau.Chapter 4: An Experiment.Chapter 5: Taking The Field.Chapter 6: The Battle Of Saint Denis.Chapter 7: A Rescue.Chapter 8: The Third Huguenot War.Chapter 9: An Important Mission.Chapter 10: The Queen Of Navarre.Chapter 11: Jeanne Of Navarre.Chapter 12: An Escape From Prison.Chapter 13: At Laville.Chapter 14: The Assault On The Chateau.Chapter 15: The Battle Of Jarnac.Chapter 16: A Huguenot Prayer Meeting.Chapter 17: The Battle Of Moncontor.Chapter 18: A Visit Home.Chapter 19: In A Net.Chapter 20: The Tocsin.Chapter 21: Escape.Chapter 22: Reunited.

  Illustrations

  Map of France in 1570.Gaspard Vaillant makes a proposal.Philip and Francoise in the armoury.Philip gets his first look at Pierre."If you move a step, you are a dead man."Philip and his followers embarking.Philip in prison.Philip struck him full in the face.Pierre listens at the open window of the inn.Gaspard Vaillant gets a surprise."You have not heard the news, Monsieur Philip?""That cross is placed there by design."Philip, Claire and Pierre disguise themselves.

  Map of France in 1570.]

  Preface.

  It is difficult, in these days of religious toleration, tounderstand why men should, three centuries ago, have flown at eachothers' throats in the name of the Almighty; still less how, incold blood, they could have perpetrated hideous massacres of men,women, and children. The Huguenot wars were, however, as muchpolitical as religious. Philip of Spain, at that time the mostpowerful potentate of Europe, desired to add France to thecountries where his influence was all powerful; and in theambitious house of Guise he found ready instruments.

  For a time the new faith, that had spread with such rapidity inGermany, England, and Holland, made great progress in France, also.But here the reigning family remained Catholic, and the vigorousmeasures they adopted, to check the growing tide, drove those ofthe new religion to take up arms in self defence. Although, underthe circumstances, the Protestants can hardly be blamed for sodoing, there can be little doubt that the first Huguenot war,though the revolt was successful, was the means of France remaininga Catholic country. It gave colour to the assertions of the Guisesand their friends that the movement was a political one, and thatthe Protestants intended to grasp all power, and to overthrow thethrone of France. It also afforded an excuse for the cruelpersecutions which followed, and rallied to the Catholic causenumbers of those who were, at heart, indifferent to the question ofreligion, but were Royalists rather than Catholics.

  The great organization of the Church of Rome laboured among allclasses for the destruction of the growing heresy. Every pulpit inFrance resounded with denunciations of the Huguenots, andpassionate appeals were made to the bigotry and fanaticism of themore ignorant classes; so that, while the power of the Huguenotslay in some of the country districts, the mobs of the great townswere everywhere the instruments of the priests.

  I have not considered it necessary to devote any large portion ofmy story to details of the terrible massacres of the period, nor tothe atrocious persecutions to which the Huguenots were subjected;but have, as usual, gone to the military events of the struggle forits chief interest. For the particulars of these, I have reliedchiefly upon the collection of works of contemporary authorspublished by Monsieur Zeller, of Paris; the Memoirs of Francois dela Noue, and other French authorities.

  G. A. Henty.